Okay all you cat people, a little advice?

[Cirrus]

My little guy is 1 1/2 years old, neutered, and he's a small framed cat by average standards. He's just a regular domestic short hair, and boy is he TUBBY. He gets only 1/2 cup of food a day, and a treat or 2, no table scraps or anything, and if he were any more active we'd have to put him on Ritalin, so it's not that he doesn't get enough exercise or anything. I just got him some "lite" cat food for overweight, spayed or neutered cats, and we'll see if that helps, but does anyone have any other kitty diet tips to share?

He doesn't have the hourglass shape cats are supposed to have when you look at them from the top, more like a reverse hourglass, and people have commented on his "round belly"...a polite way of saying he's fat. I've had him checked for intestinal parasites and it was negative, so it's not worms or anything making him look that way. I don't know how an active young cat got so porky.

I love him to death and I want him to be healthy so he's with me for a long, long time.

 

[Mischka]

What did the vet say? He may just be a thick cat. Or he may have a glandular problem that's keeping the weight on him. If it's the former, no big deal. If it's the latter, then he may need medication to regulate his digestion.

 

[Starfish]

Okay, your cat isn't overweight due to anything but that he is neutured. The lack of testosterone leads to weight gain.

Unless he becomes lathargic, or shows any symptoms of anyother disorder, than you shouldn't worry.

You may want to have his urine tested for sugars (which indicate diabetes) on a regular basis, because weight can contribute to that condition, and can kill the poor thing.


Otherwise, you're fine. Maybe Iams Adult formula is in order.... even though I don't condone the use of commercial pet foods. (you don't want to know why) *shakes head*

 

[crystalhunting]

How much does this kittie weigh?...usually a 1 and 1/2 yrs old cat should only be considered overweight if he exceeds 13 lbs,unless he is certain types of purebreeds.









CH

 

[Tabby432]

He's not fat... he's big boned.

 

[Cirrus]

LOL at Tabby!!! I'm sure that's what he thinks.

He's not over 13 lbs, for him that would be GIGANTIC. He's 10 or 11 right now, bathroom scales aren't that accurate when weighing a cat. He holds still but one time I get 10, I try again and I get 11. He is a SMALL cat though, his head is about the size of a baseball, maybe even a little smaller.

I bought him some (going to check the brand) Max Cat Lite cat food, the stuff I mentioned in my original post. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have had him neutered if it hadn't been a requirement of his adoption agreement. He is, and will be, and indoor cat his whole life, only goes out on a leash, and I don't have any other cats and don't plan to.

Starfish, he's fine otherwise, probably healthier than me. His skin, coat and eyes look good, he moves and acts just fine, doesn't throw up or have any potty problems, his appetite is fine - I think he'd eat the whole bag of food if I let him, he gets his 1/2 cup in 2 feedings, one in the morning and one at night and you'd think he hadn't been fed in days when it's meal time. I know cats like to eat a little all day long but if I give him the entire 1/2 cup he inhales it and then begs for food 2 hours later. If I give him more, which I did at one time thinking maybe he really was that hungry and I was shorting him, he inhales that too, and then repeats the cycle.

Can I ask why you don't like commercial cat foods? I won't debate with you or anything I'm just curious.

 

[Silverlily]

My parents have a male cat that used to be hugemongous! Thomas was a big cat in frame, but he weighed over 20 pounds. He was so fat, he had difficulty cleaning himself or rolling over.

Long story short, my parents fed him twice a day, diet stuff from the vet. But at every meal, they let him eat what he would, then took the food away. Thomas would eat all day, if it were available. He is now down to a respectable 12 pounds.

Being overweight, especially belly weight, in a male is not healthy. Hang in there, it is as difficult for kitties to lose weight as it is humans (it took Thomas three years).

 

[Starfish]

Well, love, I just don't think you really want to know. That's all.


I have done huge amounts of reasearch, and found that the ingredients in pet food isn't what the manufacturer claims.

There are slim federal regulations on pet food, and to be honest it is shameful what is rendered into bases used in ALL brands of commercial pet food.


I own a book written by an excellent, and disenchanted Vet...

It is my pet care bible for nutrition. I have weened sick animals for years, and never had good results with commercial diets.

Shit, the link is dead..... I am including a pic of the book and the name of the author at the bottom of the page.....


He disscusses some of the commonly used ingredients but not like what I've discovered in my research.....


Here are other links to what I have discovered.

Remember.... they can put mostanything in your pets food, or any lack of it, including disease parts of animals, sawdust, feathers... and other nutritionally deficient shit.....

Oh and .... Lite doesn't always mean lite..... They only go by crude fat... That doesn't really mean that it doesn't have the max amount.


[url-http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79]API article[/url]

Here is a site that will con you into thinking that this shit is regualted...... Here is where you can go??? Of course they are going to make it look all official, and accurate..... (they are funded by the companies that don't want to loose you as a customer.

Excerpt that has me convinced these folk are paid to say a lot of shit that isn't true.

"The Pet Food Institute, which represents the makers of the majority of the dog and cat food produced in the United States, has developed the following report to help consumers make informed decisions about pet food. Just as selecting a pet is an important decision, deciding on which pet food to feed a new dog or cat is also very important to a pet's good health."

The supposed Pet Food Institute


There is a lot of shit out there about even grosser stuff, but to be honest, I just don't even bother.

I buy Iams and Eukenuba, when I have to, but otherwise they get chicken, turkey, and fish.


It is just my opinion, but my sick animals recover, and remain healthy when givin a natural, unprocessed diet.

Animals arn't designed to eat cooked foods. They are genetically apt to digest raw foods.
This is how they remain nurished, as would we..... eating healthy foods.... not Sawdust and chicken feathers.

My husband worked next to a dog food factory, and the guys would come in and tell stories about the stray cats that would come and shit everywhere, and sometimes, one would fall in a vat, and die, and they would just continue grinding it all up.

There is more, but I'll stop here.

 

[Starfish]

Natural Health for Cats and Dogs by Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn, Michael W. Fox

 

[White_Tigress_]

All the answers seem to be here already.
I just wanted to add in my 2 cents though

To weigh your cat properly, weigh yourself first, then weigh yourself again holding the cat. The difference = kitty's weight.

My brothers cat has her belly swaying when she walks, its so funny, and the vet said it was just the breed she is.
My male cat, since I had him neutered has put on weight also. He's a fiesty son of a gun, but still putting on the poundage.

 

[bluntforcemama]

I have a cat who's about three or four years old, spayed, and goes outside to play, but she's practically Jaba the Hut. She's healthy, and she doesn't seem to mind being fat (as if she'd care). I tried the low-calorie food, and the cats just about ate each other. So back to normal food, Science Diet!

 

[Andra_Jenny]

The only cat we ever fixed died. I have little to offer on this thread except in the area of what cats will eat, or maybe rather, the shorter, what will they not eat.

Our cat know that food comes from the back porch door. Anything we throw out gets jumped on and ate (many humerous experiments here). If it is digestable, okay. If not, they puke it and the dogs eat it (even if it was something they would not eat before it went into the cat).

They never gain any weight. They fight all day long. Most of thier nutritional needs go into healing and regrowing fur.

 

[Cheyenne]

They never gain any weight. They fight all day long. Most of thier nutritional needs go into healing and regrowing fur.

Poor kitties. I always feel sorry for the outdoor cats that have to fend for themselves. They don't get the life of being spoiled inside, having food brought to them daily, sleeping in a nice, safe patch of sunshine on the living room couch, curled up in their bed.
No bugs, disease, other animals to hurt them.

I don't know why anyone would want a male cat that isn't fixed. An intact tom will spray and smell horrible. If you aren't using him as a breeder, fix him.

 

[Andra_Jenny]

Well if I fix them, then they are at the mercy of the feral Toms who will drive them off or kill them. Then I have a whole new batch of uncatchable cats who pick up where the now starving fixed cats left off.

The bobcats will also catch and eat fixed cats because they become too fucking complacent to respond to danger. The dogs use them as playtoys.

The only other alternative is to get out the .22 and just start shooting cats.

No, my cats are lucky. They get fed and have a secure home. The most a feral cat can ever hope for.

 

[Demian]

I Still Think Cats Need a Friend...

Iz your Cat alone when you go to work all Day?...Just my Opinion

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: I Still Think Cats Need a Friend...

Iz your Cat alone when you go to work all Day?...Just my Opinion

Good point. I have two cats so that they can play together and keep each other company. Chasing each other helps keep their weight down.

 

[Angel]

Poor kitties. I always feel sorry for the outdoor cats that have to fend for themselves. They don't get the life of being spoiled inside, having food brought to them daily, sleeping in a nice, safe patch of sunshine on the living room couch, curled up in their bed.
No bugs, disease, other animals to hurt them.

My cat likes it outside. We have a deal - he got fixed and I allowed him to keep his claws. He doesn't piss or shit in the house, or scratch anything and he gets to go outside whenever he sits by the door and meows.

It works.

 

[Cirrus]

Demian, my cat's a cantankerous little guy. He will not allow another cat, male for female anywhere near him. My neighbor's cat is outside most of the time, she gets along better w/male cats than other females, and I've had my guy outside several times on his leash when she's around and he never fails to hiss and spit if he even sees her. Across the street they have a skinny orange tabby that comes around every once in a while, and my cat gives him the same treatment the female gets, only this time his hackles are up. Guess he doesn't want to make friends.

 

[Laurel]

When Aiko was 9 months old, she started to get a little belly - what my vet called a "fat pad". I was feeding Aiko half of the small cans of Max Cat kitten wet food daily, along with leaving Science Diet kitten dry food out for snacking. My vet suggested that the kitten food might be too high-calorie, so I switched to adult cat food and now give her wet food only once or twice a week, as a treat. No table scraps. Within a month, the bulge was visibly smaller. She's almost 2 years old now, and the "fat pad" is completely gone.

If you switched to a lower calorie dry food, that should help a lot over the long term. Some cats just have lower metabolism.

 

[Ksss]

My cat used to weigh 23 lbs...he had long grey and white hair, he was the size of a small dog. Vet kept telling me he was healthy and not to worry about it. He only ate dry catfood, but he got supplements of leftover vegetables and fruits (damn cat loved grapes and strawberries).

 

[Cirrus]

Laurel, I've seen the pics and Aiko's a beauty!! I'm jealous. I have no pics of my guy that are digital and I have no scanner, so you'll just have to guess. He's mostly white with a few orange blotches on him. And small. Very small.

Mine gets a can of Fancy Feast once or twice a week for breakfast. He loves it, and I'd get bored of the same thing all the time so it's probably a nice change of pace for him too.

He eats anything though...including 1/2 a clove of garlic I dropped on the floor once. The only thing that smells worse than cat poop is cat gas.

 

[Laurel]

LOL! When Aiko was a kitten, she had the worst gas...Yep, there's no aroma quite like cat farts. Her breath's not the sweetest thing either, but it's gotten so I almost like it. It's like part of her smell. I bury my face in her fur and breath in and be happy. Then sneeze for three minutes straight..but it's worth it.

Small kittycats are cute! You'll have to share a picture...

Aiko likes to eat stryrofoam peanuts, which is not the safest thing. She also likes Q-Tips. She'll steal them from the bathroom. I used to keep them in a little dispenser on the counter, but I have to keep the dispenser in a cabinet 'cause she figured out how to dispense them. She's really weird.